


Steam

by GrindelwaldsArmy



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Cuddling, Fluff, M/M, Passive-aggression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-06
Updated: 2016-01-06
Packaged: 2018-05-12 03:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5651038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrindelwaldsArmy/pseuds/GrindelwaldsArmy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Kylo Ren’s most recent temper tantrum, General Hux calms him down with a warm drink and encouraging words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steam

A severely furious Kylo Ren swept past General Hux in a hurry to leave the control room and vent his residual anger elsewhere while the remnants of his initial outburst sat smoldering against a wall. General Hux’s lips twisted in annoyance. 

It was a console this time. Luckily, it was not a very important one. The metal was melted in some places and twisted to jagged edges in others. Replacing the console would be easy. Hux had accounted for Kylo’s outbursts and kept a stock of replacement parts on board the ship. However, safely removing the useless scrap Ren had made of the old one along with mending and replacing the wiring would not be so easy. A few droids would likely have to be re-allocated which could have an impact on the efficient system the general had in place. Hux took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. 

“Execute protocol KR-7,” he commanded. 

The Stormtrooper accompanying him gave their typical salute and left to carry it out. The other lower ranking officers had already fled during Kylo’s bout of destruction, leaving Hux with the white hot and glowing remains of the incident. He pinched the bridge of his nose and smoothed his hair before leaving the control room himself. 

He set his usual brisk pace, the heels of his polished boots clicking in perfectly equal intervals. Stormtroopers and officers alike stopped to salute him as he passed. Hux paid the peons no mind and simply nodded at the officers as he strode through the ship’s dark halls. When he was sure no one could see him, Hux stopped and dug his nails into his palms. He was tired of wasting time and energy pacing. Surely there were more productive ways to calm down. After a few moments of thought, the general supposed he could allocate some energy into a slight detour. He picked up his meticulous pace again and made his way to his private room. 

As Hux drew closer to his room, he noticed a long gash etched into the wall to his left that extended for several feet. The closer he came to arriving at his destination, the brighter the gash became due to residual heat. The general could feel a headache coming on. Kylo Ren’s door stood at the end of the trail. Several other fresh gashes marred the metal surrounding it. Hux took a moment to scowl at the wanton destruction left behind by the Knight of Ren and turned to his door which was directly across the hall. The door to Hux’s private chamber looked the same as any other door on the ship, except for a small silver plaque that denoted his rank. It bore no scarring from Kylo Ren’s tantrum. Hux pressed his forehead against the cool metal of the door as he ran his hand over the DNA coded lock. There was a beep and he stepped back as the door slid open. 

A quick survey of his room revealed everything was as he left it. The black leather seating of his couch showed slight signs of wear, but not to a distasteful degree, and the dark metal tables, counters, and floor were perfectly polished. Hux removed his boots and left them by the door before entering his chamber. Specifically, he made his way to his private kitchen. It came with a standard heating and cooling unit as well as a countertop, cabinets, and a table with two chairs. The general opened one of the cabinets above the counter and removed a silver device that was clearly not a part of the standard kitchen set, a gift from Captain Phasma. Gently, he placed the device on the counter, the front parallel to the counter’s edge. 

Hux reached up again and indexed various neatly aligned boxes of teas and other drinks that he had collected to pair with the device. He removed a box of his favorite black tea that was near empty. Only two packets remained. He took one of the packets and placed it next to the drink heater. As he went to place the box back in the cabinet, he stopped. He ran his fingers over the boxes and pulled out the only one that remained unopened. It was a box of hot chocolate that Phasma gave him to go with the heater, but such a drink was too sweet for his palate and he saw it as more of a drink for children than a man of his stature. He smirked and stripped open the box to remove one packet. The box was placed back in its spot in the cabinet and the door was shut. He also removed two mugs from an adjacent cabinet. 

The General gave pause and inspected the two black ceramic mugs that he had aligned behind the drink packets. His smirk fell as he questioned whether or not it would actually be appropriate or even safe to carry out his spur of the moment plan. Kylo Ren had always been at odds with him when it came to their commands. They needed to reach some level of solidarity to work together properly. The escaped droid was evidence of that. And while he still respected the power of the knight, Kylo did have some reckless and childish tendencies. Still, though… Hux shook his head to clear his thoughts. He’d already made the necessary preparations. Turning back on a laid out plan was a weakness in his eyes. A few minutes later he had two steaming mugs, one filled with the tea and the other with the hot chocolate. Normal milk was blue, but the hot chocolate was black, which Kylo Ren was sure to like regardless of the general’s intent in the drink choice.

Hux wiped down the device, ensuring it was free of any stains and put it back in the cabinet. Keeping such a mismatched device on his countertop would clash with the kitchen’s aesthetic. He lifted the steaming mugs, one in each gloved hand and slipped into his boots before leaving his room and approaching Kylo Ren’s door. He had no free hands so he kicked the door, being careful not to scuff his boot. 

“Ren. It’s General Hux. I would like to have a word with you.” 

There was no answer. The general kicked the door again.

“Ren, stop sulking and...” He was cut off when the door slid open to reveal a disheveled and scowling Kylo Ren. Hux got a glimpse of the man’s room. It bore no scarring from Ren’s roughly constructed saber, but the dangerous blade was still clutched in his hand, unlit. Hux’s eyebrow twitched when he remembered the smoldering path of destruction the man had left on the way in. 

“What is it? As you can see, I’m ‘sulking’ as you so aptly put it.” He sneered. 

“We need to talk and I thought you might like some company.” He lifted the hot chocolate in offering. “I was even kind enough to bring refreshments.”

Kylo fastened his saber to his belt and grabbed the mug of tea instead of the offered hot chocolate with a sly smile. There was a sharp intake of breath from Hux which he released slowly. 

“How thoughtful, General. Come in. Let’s talk.” Kylo stepped aside and gestured into his room with his free arm. 

Hux’s lips pressed into a thin line and he entered the room with his reviled drink in hand. As per his personal etiquette, he removed his boots at the door. Kylo did not. Their rooms were nearly identical, except Ren’s was not as polished or as orderly. A few couch cushions lay slightly askew and Ren’s helmet sat on an unoccupied armchair. Hux waited for Kylo to pick a seat on the couch before sitting down himself. He did not sit too far from Kylo Ren, but not too close either. Kylo took a sip of his tea while Hux held the coco he had intended to be for the knight in his lap. 

“What’s wrong? You’re not touching your drink.” 

Hux’s lips twisted. “I am not partial to hot chocolate. This was supposed to be for you.” 

Ren chuckled. “Is that so? Why would you offer me a drink if you find it inferior?”

“I thought it suited you. You seem like the type that would like it.” 

“You mean childish?” Kylo glowered. 

“I never said that!” Hux sputtered.

“You were thinking it.” 

“You have no proof of that.” Hux’s unoccupied hand clenched into a fist.

“The force provided me with all the proof I need.” The smirk returned. Hux considered leaving, but such an action would make him no different than Ren. Instead he straightened his posture and unclenched his fist. He took a sip of the coco. It was much more bitter than he expected. Perhaps he should have given Phasma more credit. Calmed by the surprisingly pleasant flavor of the chocolate, Hux felt himself relax just a little. 

“Well, I do find some aspects of your personality childish, but that’s not why I’m here.” He wanted to place the mug down on the table, but due to the lack of coasters he continued to hold it in his lap. 

“Then, tell me, why are you here?” Kylo placed his mug on the table with greater force than necessary. A bead of tea dripped down the side and gathered around the bottom edge. Hux frowned.

“Calm down and then we can talk.”

“I am perfectly calm.” Kylo lifted his cup to take a sip, leaving a ring of tea on the table in its wake. The general resisted the urge to wipe up the mess. 

“I don’t need to be in tune with the force to know you are not, in fact, calm.” He drank more coco. 

“Do you intend to sit in silence while you wait for me to finish brooding?”

“So you admit to brooding?” It was Hux’s turn to smirk. Ren slammed his mug on the table. 

“Say what you came here to say or leave,” Kylo hissed.

Hux sighed. “If we are to defeat the resistance and capture that droid, we need to start working together.”

“I see. Is that not what we’ve been doing?” Kylo tapped the cushion under his hand with one finger.

“I believe that you have been allowing your personal desires to take precedent over our mission. If we do not reach a consensus on what needs to be done, our operation could fall apart.” 

“It was your traitor and incompetent troopers that caused this.” He sniffed. “If I were my grandfather, I doubt you’d be so bold as to place the blame on my motives.”

Hux’s grip tightened on his mug. “You are not your grandfather.”

“I am aware of that, general.” The glass of the table cracked. “Did you really come here to propose a solution to our miscommunication or are you only here to gloat over my plan falling through?” The cracks spread.

“Ren, control yourself.” Hux gently grabbed Ren’s arm. “Our mission’s failure is our combined responsibility. Your failures are mine and mine are yours. Let’s move on from this petty argument.” 

Kylo Ren jerked his arm away from Hux. “I didn’t give you permission to touch me.” He huffed and turned away from the general. He rested his elbow on the arm of the couch and held his chin in his hand. 

“Ren, it won’t do you any good to dwell on this. A couple unknown factors may have thrown off our plans this time, but the droid isn’t with the resistance yet.” 

Kylo turned his head to look Hux in the eyes. “You’re right.” His gaze was intense and as wild as the lightsaber he wielded. “With all of our eyes out in the galaxy, we will find them and then I will destroy the traitor and capture the droid myself. There is no resistance fighter in the galaxy who can stop me and the only man who can is hiding like a coward.” He laughed. “He too will meet his end by my saber.” 

“Spoken like a true Sith Lord.” Hux smiled. His knee subtly touched Kylo’s. Kylo didn’t notice, too wrapped up in his moment of triumph. “So long as you continue to run your plans by me, I will find a way to work with them efficiently.” 

“Of course, General.” 

Kylo Ren picked up his mug, still half full with black tea and brought it to his lips. Slowly, he breathed in what was left of the dwindling steam and began to drink. A smile touched his lips. 

“You have good taste in tea, Hux.” 

“Thank you. That kind is hard to come by.” Hux drank more from his own mug.

“I thought you didn’t like hot chocolate.” Kylo’s attention was fully on him now. Their legs were still touching. 

“It’s different than what I’ve come to expect from this kind of drink.” 

Hux right hand fell to rest on his own thigh. His pinky grazed against Kylo’s leg, but the other paid the touch no mind. The two sat in silence enjoying their respective drinks. The general’s hand drifted over until he was fulling touching the other man’s thigh. Hux’s fingers slowly caressed and drummed at the fabric of his pants. This drew Kylo Ren’s attention. With his left hand, Kylo’s fingers slipped over the back of Hux’s hand until he was holding it firmly in place. Hux’s heart pounded in his chest and his lips felt dry. 

“Ren?” 

Kylo regarded Hux with a soft expression and squeezed his hand. “Again, you didn’t ask to touch me, but I’ll allow it.” He lightened his grip and ran his thumb over the top of Hux’s hand. 

“Would you mind if I sat closer?” 

Kylo quirked a brow and studied the general. “Well, since you asked so nicely…” Wrapping an arm around Hux’s waist, Kylo Ren pulled him so he was leaning against his black robes. The general’s tea threatened to spill over the sides of the mug, but the Knight of Ren used the force to prevent that. 

“Careful, Hux.” 

“You’re the one who pulled me.” He huffed indignantly. He shifted his weight and settled down.

Kylo chuckled. “I hope you’re comfortable.” 

“I am,” he answered. 

The two sat in silence for a while, enjoying their drinks and each other’s company. Hux had never seen Kylo in such a calm state. He found it to be pleasant. Something he wouldn’t mind seeing more of. He’d have the tea next time, of course. 

“That sounds like a good plan, Hux,” Kylo commented.

“I wish you wouldn’t read my mind.”

“I won't make any promises.” He treated Hux with a small smile. 

“Ass.” Hux kissed Kylo’s cheek. “I expect you to meet with me again after you capture that droid.” 

Kylo Ren scratched his cheek were Hux kissed him. “I’ll consider it. For now, I think Supreme Leader Snoke is expecting us.” He released his grip on the general and went to retrieve his mask. 

“You’re right. We’ve wasted enough time as it is.” Hux stood and straightened his belt. He retrieved his boots next. As he slipped them on and made sure his pants didn’t bunch up at the tops, a masked Kylo Ren approached him from behind. When Hux had finished with his boots, Kylo placed a hand on his shoulder and led him out the door. The two walked together, side by side, to their fate.


End file.
